Klarinet Archive - Posting 000342.txt from 1995/06

From: Tom Ascher <U15310@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Tongue position - again!
Date: Fri, 16 Jun 1995 11:04:03 -0400

Interesting with all this dialogue about how we learn....I'm still looking
for an answer to my question about tongue position.

One person says to articulate a "too". Another says no, do a "doo".
Another says press the back of the tongue up against the insides of the
molars. I ask: is the tongue ANCHORED against the molars, i.e., does it
stay there all the time, or just when hitting the reed, or just when not
hitting the reed, and there is NO ANSWER....

My (former) teacher kept saying "keep the tongue up". What part of
the tongue? The front? Middle? Back? Sides? Where is the tip when
not hitting the reed? Against the back of the lower teeth? Against the
back of the upper teeth? Suspended in the middle?

Is there a drawing, x-ray, or something somewhere that shows this?

My present hunch about what should be happening with the tongue is that
it should be pulled back with the lower jaw extended downwards and forwards
somewhat. The tongue should be in an "S" curve when viewed from the side
so the very back of the tongue is down, it curves upward toward the roof
of the mouth in the mid-back/middle, then curves downward toward the front,
then back up to the tip of the tongue.

When viewed from the back (or front) the middle section is curved so that
the sides are raised against the insides of the molars and they tend to
move up and touch or rest against the molars more pronounced at the moment
when the tip of the tongue is "tonguing" against the reed about 1/4" from
the tip of the reed/mouthpiece tip.

This is MY impression of what I presently do or try to do. But I'm
looking for guidance and I'm curious as to whether this description seems
generally accurate and if I should work toward ALWAYS keeping the mid-back
sides of my tongue ANCHORED against the inside of the molars even between
hits against the reed. I'm wondering if this is what my former teacher
meant when she kept saying "keep your tongue up". It was her contention
that you never see or feel the throat move because your tongue (back of
tongue?) is not moving.